MUD RoIP (Radio over Internet): IRLP, Echolink, AllStar, WIRES etc? (1 Viewer)

[pismojim]

That FT-7800 data port would work great with a TNC.

Looks like SBARC is working on a 2M repeater link to SLO county. We'll soon be talking on RF.

 

[e9999]

so, without a radio with APRS built-in, the basic hardware is a mobile, a TNC, and a phone or laptop as terminal then?
Can you possibly connect the phone or laptop directly to the radio and send SMSs via APRS without a TNC in the middle if you have the proper software and cable?

 

[george_tlc]

^ No

cheers,
george.

 

[e9999]

I just saw a vid by a guy who connected his phone running APRSDroid to a radio (UV5R) with only a cable from the phone earphone outlet to the radio mike input. The radio was set to VOX activation. And he says he is able to have the android app send his GPS location data out automatically to a web site for recording, with just that cable.

Intriguing...

 

[george_tlc]

I would still use a TNC (mobilink etc, quite inexpensive) since the interface to the radio audio is more optimized for filtering the data coming IN. The vox setup is necessary since there's no dedicated PTT signal available from a phone or PC running TNC-less.

Something like the mobilink TNC also means a BT connection from phone to radio so one less cable hanging off the phone. It also means you can be comfortable in a chair at camp and as long as you are in BT range you can send/receive data etc. Many new phones don't have an audio jack anymore and need a dongle on the USB-C port... Though, I suppose you could dedicate an older sim-less android phone as the dedicated aprsdroid interface.

cheers,
george.

 

[e9999]

I am under the impression that APRS is basically uploading your position etc to a public system and that it then shows on maps like APRS.fi, that are accessible to the public.
How does one send a message to a specific user, like an SMS, as mentioned above? How are they visible to the destination user? And are those messages also publically-readable?

 

[george_tlc]

^ read up on SMSGTE (google it). It allows you to send via aprs (I use aprsdroid and a mobilink tnc) a short message that will go to a phone # (obviously a cell) and the recipient can choose to reply (with appropriate destination address, your callsign) and it will work its way back to an igate/digipeater and go out as RF which aprsdroid would receive and tell you that a new message has been received. Clearly your aprs setup needs to be running and radio needs to be on and tuned to the aprs channel and you need to be in range of an igate/digipeater...

It is somewhat clumsy and only short messages can be sent either way, but it is capable of working reasonably well. The cell phone user that is responding does not need to be licensed due to the letter of the law. Obviously the person on the RF end of things does need to be licensed to transmit onto the RF aprs network.

APRS also allows you to send/receive a short email and that doesn't require SMSGTE. Google aprs email.

cheers,
george.

 

[e9999]

thanks. Email too? Wow. This internet thing they are talking about is really something...

Need to do some reading and maybe soldering...

 

[Joel Kasper]

Like Jim my radio is a Kenwood V71A. It comes Echolink ready. I have a Mobilink TNC and an andoid tablet running aprsdroid. I also run a program called Backcountry Navigator which lets me download routes from places like FunTreks. It works with aprsdroid to display APRS stations on the map. One other thing I use is SMSgte. It lets me send and receive SMS messages form any cell phone using APRS messaging. It came in handy a couple of years ago on the Rubicon.